Julie’s Raw Ambition

Drinks at a cliff side cafe overlooking the Adriatic Sea

I promised myself I would blog all the places I visited in Europe this summer, and until now I didn’t even make it past Venice, the first stop.  There were literally hundreds of photos to sort through and edit.  And when I say edit I mean thank goodness for Photoshop, because during our first week without luggage and camera batteries left me resorting to disposables and my iPhone.  I never knew the sharpen filter would come in so handy!

Enjoying the clean ocean air and spectacular views.

June 19: Now, I don’t know anyone who’s been to Croatia. Europeans have been frequenting this little known gem of a destination for years now, but it has only very recently started showing up within the American travel market.  And still, it’s a far cry from a place a travel agent would likely suggest. I got here not knowing what in the world to expect and was pleasantly surprised beyond all imagination.  Dubrovnik is a charming city with a long and colorful history, both prosperous and volatile.

The main street inside the walled city of Dubrovnik

The city is abundant with cafes lining nearly every street and alleyway wide enough to fit a table and chair.  When we arrived to a small port via tendered boat from the Insignia, our first order of business was lunch.  Our stomachs were screaming in response to the incredible aromas of food in the crisp, cool air.  It could not have been a more perfect day.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and just around 75 degrees.  We trolled around only briefly before finding the perfect location to settle and take in the moments to come, a cafe across from a magnificent cathedral.

From our cafe table, in view of the cathedral

The menu was impressively written in seven different languages, and the selections were about as local as you can get.  Especially the seafood.  Local fisherman lined the port unloading their nets encasing the morning’s catches, complete with plenty of freeloaders looking for hand-outs – the town’s cats!  I noticed that nearly every patron at our cafe had a big bowl of a Dubrovnik specialty, the mussels.  So it was no surprise when the waiter strongly urged us to try some. Here was an instance that was not worth passing up, and as I sat enjoying the some of the plumpest, sweetest, freshest mussels I have ever tried in my entire life, it proved my hunch was correct.  They were steamed, simply as they should, in just garlic and white wine.  A tomato, cucumber, and dill salad with olive oil and a big, cold Croatian beer quite perfectly completed my lunch experience.

Dubrovnik kitties

There were a lot of passers-by, and a lot of tourists buzzing about.  The town was doing its thing, conducting its orders of business.  But somehow, it was so quiet.  It was as if perhaps being near the ocean created a caress of peace in the air.  And there was the overall factor of just calming energy emitting from all around.

As we sat in our cafe chairs, examining our surroundings while intermittently gazing into the beauty that encompassed us, it was one of those inexplicable times that my husband and I just fell quiet.  There were no words needed.  There were no thoughts needed.  It is an incredible feeling to be induced into an almost meditative state just by the natural seduction of environment alone.  There was perfection in those moments of time because nothing else in the world mattered except for just being, and we felt incredibly blessed.

The cathedral we visited after lunch.

Speaking of blessed, the entire time we sat at the cafe, I was quite drawn to the cathedral across the way.  What awaited was a very personal experience that followed me to other churches I explored in the town as well.  I’ve never been a religious person, however, strongly spiritual.

A figure on the exterior of the cathedral.

When I entered the cathedral, there were simultaneous instances of both observation and emotional surge. I  was engulfed in the sight of the ornate yet almost abstract beauty of the interior.  There was a powerful silence that began to grip at my throat.  I saw a few people sprinkled throughout, either sitting on pews or praying in front of various iconic figures along the sides of the sanctuary.  And as I walked around feeling myself become more and more overtaken by an unfamiliar immense energy, it quickly manifested into an emotional reaction that was too big for my mind to even try and analyze it.  And this was definitely a time that I didn’t even want to try.  I just went with it.

A painting of Jesus in the cathedral

I began to tremble and found myself holding my breath.  It felt as though I couldn’t swallow because of the tightness in my throat.  So I walked to a pew and sat, gazing at the altar, for just a few moments before I began to cry.  And once I started, it was hard to stop.  By this time, my husband entered the church after finishing a phone call outside.  He said he understood, though I felt a little silly.  My mind started kicking in, “Okay, Julie, that’s enough.  What in the world is wrong with you!”  I stopped with the tears, but the enormity of the energy and the physically gripping feelings followed me not just for the few hours we remained in town, but also once back on board the Insignia and through the night.

An old Croatian man hanging out

Once I composed myself and we left the cathedral, we moved on for a very important mission.  The old town of Dubrovnik has some pretty good shopping and this was the first opportunity we had to buy some new duds since we were luggageless, with no indication of when and where it will show up.  I found a Max Mara store and got some pants, tops, and a dress, and a pair of thongs at Lacoste.  Not too bad!

Some town flair

Just as it was time to leave around 6 pm, the town began to shift into a lively night mode. Cafes began to come alive and the town’s residents exponentially emerged and with greater spirit than the daytime shift.  Within the alleyways of the town, which in essence are like little neighborhoods, its denizens opened their windows, talked more loudly and became more animated.  Music began to fill the air. It was a real shame that we had to leave, but Dubrovnik is now one of those places that occupy a special area of my soul.  I can see myself coming back again, and next time it won’t be for just a day.

See the rest of my photos of Dubrovnik on Flickr.

<3, JMK